Improved apparatus for stopping jars and bottles



N.' THOMPSON.

4 Fruit Jar.

Patented Aug. 30, 1864.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING JARS AND'BOTTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,054, dated August30, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN THOMPSON, of 15 Abbey Gardens, St. J ohnsWood, in the county of Middlesex, England, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for. Stopping Bottles, Jars, and otherVessels,which improvements are also applicable to stopping the muzzles offire-arms; and I, the said NATHAN THOMPSON, do hereby declare the natureof the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed tobe particularly described and ascertained in and by the followingstatement thereof-that is to say:

This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for stoppingbottles, jars, and other vessels, which improvements are also applicableto stopping the muzzles of firearms. For these purposes I employstopping apparatus consisting of the following parts: first, a flangedcylinder with a screw-nut attached to it; second, a ring of india-rubberor similar material; third, an upper flanged ring of metal; and, fourth,a metal disk with a screw fixed to it and furnished with a handle. Thefirst part consists of a short metal cylinder, closed at its ends,excepting a small hole at the center of the upper end, under which ascrew-nut is fixed. At its lower end it has an external flange of such asize as just to enter freely into the mouth of the vessel to be stopped.On this flange the second part-via, the ring of vulcanizedindia-rubber-rests, and it is by compressing this ring by means of ascrew, as hereinafter described, between the flange on which it restsand an upper ring, or the third part above referred to, that anair-tight joint is made between the stopping apparatus and the neck ofthe bottle or vessel. This third part consists of a short tube capableof just entering freely into the neck of the bottle or vessel, and ithas a flange at its upper end, which, by resting on the top of the neck,prevents the stopping apparatus entering too far into the vessel. Theinner edge of this flange is in dented or recessed all round, so as toform a circular recess for a disk to lie in, as will be presentlydescribed. J The tube also has at its lower edge a flange projectinginward from it, and it is this flange which bears directly on theindie-rubber ring. Again, at the inner edge of this lower flange isanother short tube,

[ projecting downward, which fits accurately to the cylindrical portionof the first part,so that the two parts can slide the one on the otherto compress the india-rubber ring, as already mentioned. The disk beforereferred to, and which is the fourth of the parts enumerated above,consists of a circular metal plate, which lies, as already mentioned, inthe circular recess in the flange of the thirdpart. Itis able to turn inthis recess, and for this purpose it has a handle jointed to its upperside. The handle is a semicircular piece of metal with lugs at theextremities of its diameter. It lies in a depression or recess ofcorresponding size made in the disk, and the lugs pass through holes oneach side of the recess. In the center of the disk and beneath it ascrew is fixed. For convenience of manufacture it is not made a completescrew, but is flat on two sides. This screw takes into the nut fixed tothe first part, so that by turning the disk and screw by means of thehandle the first and third parts-- that is, the cylinder and the upperring-can be drawn toward each other and the indiarubber ring betweenthem compressed, and it is in this manner thatthe stopping apparatus issecured in its place, and by turning the disk and screw in the contrarydirection that the stopping apparatus is freed, so that it may be liftedout of the mouth of the bottle or vessel. The screw-nut of the firstpart is made square, and its diagonal is somewhat longer than the innerdiameter of the cylinder within which it is fixed. To get it into itsplace it'is dished or cupped, and after it is in the cylinder it isflattened, which causes its corners to enter the sides of the cylinder,and the nut thus becomes fixed in its place.

In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readilycarried into effect, I will proceed to describe the drawings hereuntoannexed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sec tion of a jar with stoppingapparatus such as above described. Fig. 2is a plan of the same.

a a is the short metal cylinder forming a portion of the first part ofthe stopping apparatus; a, aflange at its lower end; 01?, the up per endof the cylinder, with a central hole in it at a. The parts a, a, and aare stamped in one piece of tinned iron.

a is the nut. It is made in wrought-iron, and fixed as alreadydescribed.

a is a plate of metal closing the lower end of the cylinder, its edgesbeing lapped over the edges of the flange a.

The parts'a a a a are shown separately at Fig. 3, and the nut a dishedready for fixing, is shown separately at Fig. 4:.

b is the VulcaniZedindia-rubber ring or secand part of the stoppingapparatus. Itis preferred to make this ring of vulcanized indiarubber;but other material may be employed,

although not so efficiently.

The upper ring or third part of the stopping apparatus is shownseparately at Fig. 5. It consists of the short tube 0, of such a size asjust to enter freely into the mouth of the bottle or vessel. 0 is theflange at its upper edge, with the recess a" formed init. c is theflange projecting inward from its inneredge andformiug a flat surface topress upon the top of the india-rubber ring I), and c is the shortguidetube at the inner edge of the flange 0 to serve as a guide for thefirst part, a, a, a a and a, of the stopping apparatus. The parts 0, c,c", 0 and 0 are formed altogether from a ring of tinned iron bystamping.

Fig. 6 shows separately the disk d of the fourth part of the stoppingapparatus. Fig. 7

shows its handle, and Fig. 8 its screw. The disk 61 is stamped with arecess, d, for the handle. In the center of this recess is a hole,

. afterward straightened. The screw d is made to the form shown from ashort piece of flat iron by stamping in dies.

Stopping apparatus thus constructed is suitable for stopping the muzzlesof fire-arms.

I claim- 1. The constructing and forming the first, third, and fourthparts severally of the stopping apparatus, substantially as hereinheforedescribed.

2. The combining the several parts of the stopping apparatus,substantially as described.

NATHAN THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS LAKE, J NO. DEAN,

London, Gracechm'ch Street, No. 17.

